New BrunswickAn Indigenous Veterans Day memorial service at St. Mary’s First Nation brought together members of the Wolastoqey community, the Canadian Legion, and community leaders and youth.People from inside and outside the Wolastoqey community came together in honour of veterans’ sacrificeIan Curran · CBC News · Posted: Nov 08, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Indigenous Veterans Day is normally observed on Nov. 8, but St. Mary’s First Nation held a special service on Thursday, when those who have served were honoured with a traditional ceremony, including drums, dancing and singing; (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)A sacred fire burns as the cool November wind rustles poppy-filled wreaths at the Maqiyahtimok Centre community cenotaph in Fredericton.A soundtrack of military trumpets mixed with the beat of drums and singing can be heard in the distance.This was part of a National Indigenous Veterans Day memorial service hosted by Sitansisk, or St. Mary’s First Nation, on Thursday.The service brought together members of the Wolastoqey community, the local Canadian Legion branch, community leaders and youth.Every year on Nov. 8, Indigenous Veterans Day seeks to remember the sacrifices made by Indigenous soldiers as early as the War of 1812, while also acknowledging the historical injustices they faced during and after their military service.“Courage is a teaching, it’s one of our seven teachings,” said St. Mary’s Chief Allan Polchies.“It took the courage to go and fight for our country to give us freedom, and today we honor that with the sacred fire, we honor that with having the drum presence and we honour that with, of course, having our jingle dress dancer.” WATCH | ‘They went with courage, they went with hope,’ Chief Allan Polchies says:Sitansisk First Nation honours courage of Indigenous veteransIndigenous Veterans Day takes place on Nov. 8 to honour the soldiers from First Nations communities who fought in overseas wars. Polchies was one of many representatives at the service who placed a commemorative wreath.He said St. Mary’s First Nation invited representatives from the municipal, provincial and federal governments to participate in the service and show their respect.“It’s important that we collectively all come together to give honour and to give respect,” Polchies said. “It’s certainly respectful, and we appreciate their company.”The ceremony saw unity in remembrance between people inside and outside the first nation.According to Polchies, one message was universal.“To all of the veterans that are unable to make it to ceremonies like this due to injuries or long-term health, know that you’re here in spirit and we’re with you each and every day.”Members of Canadian Legion Branch No. 4 also attended the ceremony.“It’s an honour and privilege to be here today,” said branch president Joanne Gibson “I’ve been seeing these things throughout the years and again today, it’s just overwhelming to see the support.” Joanne Gibson, president of Fredericton Legion Branch No. 4, said she was honoured to be part of the ceremony. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)Learning, as well as remembering, was a big part of the ceremony for Gibson.“We don’t realize how important it is for our Indigenous community, and I think for the people outside, it would be a privilege to come to one of these ceremonies to understand the work they put through and the honou to do this,” she said.Also in attendance were elders and young members of the St. Mary’s community, including relatives of the veterans being remembered.Maggie Paul is an elder in the community who works to keep St. Mary’s First Nation traditions alive.Thinking of the many members of the community outside St Mary’s who were attending the event, she hoped they would take away one simple message.“We still do our ceremonies, we still do our singing, we still do our dances,” Paul said. “It makes you feel good when they come, at least they still remember.”Maggie Paul is a St. Mary’s First Nation elder and believes in celebrating the lives of the Indigenous veterans. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)She says that these ceremonies are not a time for tragedy, but a time to celebrate the lives of Indigenous people who served.“Because life and death are as one, they are equal, we teach our children not to be scared,” Paul said. “We still speak to them and we ask our children to do the same.”ABOUT THE AUTHORIan Curran is working with the Fredericton bureau at CBC News. You can contact him with story ideas at ian.curran@cbc.ca.
St. Marys First Nation ceremony remembers Indigenous soldiers
